Atlantic Wreckage

Population

About 118,000 permanent residents, plus 25,000 to 40,000 seasonal and transient people. These are rough in-universe estimates, not a census. By region (all rough): Wreck Belt about 31,000; Broken Fleet about 25,000; Platform Chain about 18,000; Glasswater Fields about 12,000; Salt Gardens about 9,000; Blue Graves about 7,000; Far Wrecks about 2,000 permanent plus about 6,000 seasonal; other communities about 14,000. Population is heavily concentrated around navigable water and freshwater infrastructure.

Major zones

• Glasswater Fields

  • Shared
  • About 12,000 permanent

  The northern part of the developed Iron Shoals. A relatively shallow region where the seabed is visible in unusually clear conditions. It holds coral structures, wrecks, abandoned cables, navigation towers, sunken aircraft and fishing grounds, plus smaller settlements and working platforms. One of the most valuable recreational-diving and historical-recovery regions. Its industries are diving, archaeology, salvage, tourism, marine research and fisheries.

  Status: Territorial table: Glasswater is Shared.

  Held, used or claimed by: Bluewater Cooperative (shared); Heritage Circle (protected / disputed)

• Platform Chain

  • Controlled
  • About 18,000

  The northwestern part of Iron Shoals. Former offshore energy and telecommunications infrastructure forms a chain of interconnected platforms, linked by bridges, pontoons, barges, service vessels and suspended walkways, with industrial docks and fabrication facilities. The most industrialised section of the Driftland. The chain connects back toward the central network. Chainfall is its major settlement and Platform Zero its oldest platform.

  Status: Territorial table: the Platform Chain is Controlled (Platform Union).

  Held, used or claimed by: Platform Union (controlled)

• Broken Fleet

  • About 25,000

  The western part of Iron Shoals and the largest concentration of enormous vessels: container ships, tankers, cargo ships, ferries, military vessels, industrial ships and converted wrecks. Several abandoned cargo ships became the foundations of whole communities, some of them effectively vertical towns with housing, workshops, clinics, markets, generators, freshwater tanks, gardens, schools and docks. Many vessels are now permanent structures and some are joined together. It grades into the Wreck Belt with no empty ocean between. Dangers: unstable vessels, collapsing structures and fuel contamination.

  Held, used or claimed by: Iron Guild (operating)

• Wreck Belt

  • About 31,000

  The central-western heart of Iron Shoals and its densest concentration of wreckage: thousands of cargo ships, tankers, fishing vessels, yachts, military ships, ferries, research vessels, aircraft, offshore service vessels and container ships, of every age. Density varies, with tightly packed areas and navigable channels. Some wrecks are partly or fully submerged, dismantled, converted into buildings, left untouched or turned into artificial reefs. Wreckage itself has become land, infrastructure and architecture. Wreckhaven sits inside it.

  Held, used or claimed by: Iron Guild (operating); Bluewater Cooperative (shared); Free Divers (operating); Navigators (operating); Heritage Circle (protected / disputed)

• Salt Gardens

  • About 9,000

  The southern-inner part of Iron Shoals: a low-lying collection of artificial islands and agricultural platforms. Residents produce salt, algae, shellfish, sea vegetables and limited crops, with oyster and mussel beds, seaweed farms, fish aquaculture, hydroponic structures, freshwater infrastructure, food storage and agricultural workshops. It connects north into the central network and south toward deeper water.

  Held, used or claimed by: Bluewater Cooperative (shared)

• Blue Graves

  • Contested
  • About 7,000

  The southern deep-water region, holding some of the oldest known wrecks. The name began among divers. Many vessels vanish into depths where conventional salvage is impossible. Deep salvage sites, vertical wreck structures, deep-water moorings, research platforms, specialist salvage vessels, decompression facilities and deep-water navigation markers. Economically valuable, scientifically important and extremely dangerous: depth, decompression, currents and equipment failure. It grades in from the inner waters with no hard boundary.

  Status: Territorial table: Blue Graves is Contested.

  Held, used or claimed by: Iron Guild (operating); Free Divers (operating)

• Far Wrecks

  • Operating
  • About 2,000 permanent, plus about 6,000 seasonal

  The eastern part of Iron Shoals, where the developed civilisation thins out. Scattered wrecks reach toward deeper Atlantic waters: isolated wrecks, salvage camps, prospecting vessels, temporary platforms, navigation markers, small fishing camps, independent salvage operations and long-range expedition vessels. Salvage crews, prospectors and independent operators work here for months at a time. Infrastructure thins steadily toward the east.

  Status: Territorial table: Far Wrecks is Operating.

  Held, used or claimed by: Iron Guild (operating); Free Divers (operating)

• Blackwater

  • Neutral

  The outer eastern deep-water frontier, where the civilisation stops. Deep ocean, isolated wrecks, occasional navigation markers, research vessels and temporary expedition platforms. Almost no permanent habitation, large areas of open water, dangerous weather, strong currents and extreme depth. Dangers: depth, storms, isolation and navigation.

  Status: Territorial table: Blackwater is Neutral.

  Population: not stated.

Wreckhaven

• Wreckhaven

  • Controlled
  • About 19,000

  The principal settlement and unofficial capital of Iron Shoals, embedded inside the Wreck Belt. It grew around the partly submerged remains of large vessels: five major ship hulls, more than 40 smaller vessels, floating platforms, reinforced docks, artificial islands, connected decks and bridges. The hulls have become neighbourhoods. It is governed by the Harbour Assembly, with a Harbour Marshal responsible for security, navigation, emergency response and storm preparation. There is no conventional mayor.

  Status: Territorial table: Wreckhaven is Controlled.

• The Spine

  The commercial district and the central connected structure of Wreckhaven: several vessels physically joined together, with the main movement corridor, bridges, decks and commercial connections.

• The Holds

  The residential district: converted cargo holds, family housing and communal spaces.

• Old Steel

  The industrial district: ship repair, metalworking, machinery and salvage processing.

• The Decks

  Markets, restaurants, bars, social spaces and trading areas.

• Lower Wreck

  The poorer neighbourhood, built close to the waterline: older structures, smaller vessels, informal housing and hazardous infrastructure.

Settlements

• Port Mercy

  • Neutral
  • About 8,000

  Originally a medical and rescue platform, now the Iron Shoals' principal hospital centre, emergency port, quarantine facility and rescue coordination centre. Medical docks, emergency berths, supply storage and hardened storm facilities. Its reputation is unusually neutral and even hostile factions generally respect it. It has a direct maritime connection to Wreckhaven.

  Status: Unusually neutral reputation. Even hostile factions generally respect Port Mercy.

• Chainfall

  • About 7,000

  The major settlement of the Platform Chain, built around it. Its economy is engineering, power generation, fabrication, electronics and marine repair. It produces many of the machines that keep Iron Shoals running.

  Held, used or claimed by: Platform Union (controlled)

• New Calypso

  • About 6,500

  A culturally diverse fishing settlement. Its economy is fishing, seafood processing, boat construction and maritime trade. One of the more family-oriented communities.

  Held, used or claimed by: Bluewater Cooperative (shared)

• Saint Elmo

  • About 5,800

  An old salvage community known for diving schools, wreck mapping, historical recovery and independent salvage crews. Its residents are famously suspicious of outsiders.

• Blackglass

  • About 5,000

  An industrial settlement. The surrounding waters hold unusually high concentrations of recoverable material, and Blackglass has the largest shipbreaking industry. The Iron Guild is strong here.

  Held, used or claimed by: Iron Guild (operating)

• Gull Station

  • About 240

  A fishing station.

• Mercy Shoal

  • About 380

  A diving community.

• Seven Bells

  • About 170

  A salvage camp.

• Lantern Reach

  • About 620

  A navigation settlement.

  Held, used or claimed by: Navigators (operating)

• Red Buoy

  • About 310

  A fuel and repair station.

• The Garden

  • About 450

  An aquaculture community.

• Old Nassau

  • About 190

  A historical wreck settlement.

Landmarks

• The Cathedral

  A massive sunken passenger vessel. Its surviving upper structure protrudes from the water, and it has become a navigation landmark.

• The Nine Towers

  Former offshore communication towers. Only six remain operational.

• The Bell Wreck

  • Disputed

  A famous historical wreck containing a large bronze ship's bell. Its exact identity remains disputed. A protected site of the Heritage Circle.

  Status: Territorial table: historic wreck sites are Disputed. Its identity is also disputed.

  Held, used or claimed by: Heritage Circle (protected / disputed)

• The Blue Door

  • Unknown

  A sealed section of a deep-water wreck. Its contents are unknown.

  Status: Status: unknown. Its contents are unknown.

• Platform Zero

  • Controlled

  The oldest surviving industrial platform, in the Platform Chain. It is now controlled by the Platform Union.

  Status: Controlled by the Platform Union.

  Held, used or claimed by: Platform Union (controlled)

Hazards

• Razor Shoals

  • Dangerous

  A hazard of shallow submerged wrecks, reefs and unpredictable breaking waves.

  Status: Listed among the dangerous areas of Iron Shoals.

Below the surface

• Wreck Forests

  Clusters of ships that form vertical marine ecosystems. Fish move through hull, cargo hold, machinery space, artificial reef and the surrounding water. Divers consider some wreck forests among the richest ecosystems in the Atlantic. Wrecks across Iron Shoals have become artificial reefs.